Publication

Reduction of fibrous adhesion formation by a copolymer possessing an affinity for anionic surfaces

Jeffrey Alan Hubbell
1998
Journal paper
Abstract

Postsurgical adhesions represent a common complication following a variety of surgical procedures. We sought to develop and evaluate a water-soluble polymer that could self-assemble onto tissue surfaces, forming a barrier on the surface. A copolymer was synthesized so as to contain two components: one component adsorbed to the tissue surface, and the other created a steric barrier, thereby preventing cell interactions with the tissue surface, and perhaps altering the wound-healing response that leads to the formation of fibrous adhesions. The component selected for tissue binding was a water-soluble polycation, poly-L-lysine, which can bind to negative sites on glycoproteins, proteoglycans, and cells; and the component selected for steric stabilization was polyethylene glycol, a nonionic polymer that interacts poorly with proteins. Efficacy of lavage with an aqueous solution of the copolymer for the prevention of postsurgical abdominopelvic adhesions was assessed following a standard electrocautery injury of the uterine horns of rats. The copolymer resulted in an 88% reduction in the extent of adhesions that formed. In vitro studies designed to investigate the mechanism of this efficacy indicated that the copolymer may both hinder cell-tissue adhesive interactions and alter the process of fibrin formation. [on SciFinder (R)]

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A polymer (ˈpɒlᵻmər; Greek poly-, "many" + -mer, "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic and natural polymers play essential and ubiquitous roles in everyday life. Polymers range from familiar synthetic plastics such as polystyrene to natural biopolymers such as DNA and proteins that are fundamental to biological structure and function.
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